The Evaluation of the Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activity of Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) Essential Oil and Its Chemical Composition

Background: Food born pathogenic bacteria are the most important agents of infections in humans, and food spoilage also results in economic losses in food industry. Objectives: The aim of this study was the evaluation of chemical components, total phenolic content, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Artemisia dracunculus essential oil. Materials and Methods: The essential oil of Tarragon was analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity and total phenolic content were evaluated by bleaching of beta-carotene and folin ciocalteu methods, respectively. The antibacterial effect of the essential oil was inspected on seven Gram-positive and negative bacteria using the microdilution method. Results: A total of 19 compounds were identified by GC-FID and GC-MS. The main compounds were methyl chavicol (84.83%), trans-ocimene (3.86%), z-beta-ocimene (3.42%), limonene (1.79%) and alpha-pinene (0.57%). Total phenols were 10.16 +/- 0.08 mg/g Gallic acid equivalent. The essential oil showed good antioxidant activity in bleaching of beta-carotene method (50 +/- 1.63%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) for essential oil ranged between 3.8 to 250 mg/mL, respectively. Conclusions: The essential oil of Tarragon might be replaced by synthetic antioxidant and preservatives in food industry.